Michael Crabtree makes a playoff splash

One year ago, Michael Crabtree became the invisible man in his inaugural trip to the postseason. He blended into the background against the Saints (four catches, 25 yards) and was even less relevant against the Giants (one catch, three yards).

On Saturday, in his second whirl across the grand playoff stage, Crabtree wore large, dark sunglasses to his postgame news conference. The spotlight was that bright.

Colin Kaepernick will command most of the headlines, but Crabtree carved out his own spot on the marquee. He caught nine passes for 119 yards, including two touchdowns, as the 49ers raced into the NFC Championship Game with a 45-31 victory over Green Bay.

And if Kaepernick channeled his inner Steve Young, then Crabtree did a nice Jerry Rice impersonation – snagging everything thrown his way, pocketing yards after the catch, surfacing in the end zone when his team needed him there.

That’s nothing new, given Crabtree’s 85 regular-season catches. But these are the playoffs, with the stakes at their highest. And make no mistake: Crabtree remembered his disappearing act last year.

“Every playoff game, I have something to prove,” he said. “Last year, it was bad. But we’re in a new year.”

So what’s different? Start with the quarterback. Crabtree clicked with Kaepernick soon after No. 7 stepped into the starting role. One measure: Crabtree has five 100-yard receiving games this season, including Saturday, and four of them have come since Kaepernick replaced Alex Smith.

Their connection was especially noticeable on Crabtree’s first touchdown Saturday, on 3rd-and-goal from the Packers’ 12-yard line. It was a quick crossing pattern on which Kaepernick threw the ball even before Crabtree made his cut.

He caught the pass at the 9 and darted into the end zone to tie the game at 14-14.

Crabtree added a 20-yard touchdown on San Francisco’s next possession. The Packers never did figure out how to cover him.

“He’s emerging as one of the top receivers in the NFL,” safety Donte Whitner said. “He’s more assertive and more confident than he was last year. He knows what he’s doing, and he understands he’s going to get his number called 10 times a game.”

Beyond this, Crabtree also did the dirty work Saturday. Late in the game, with the outcome no longer really in doubt, Frank Gore broke free for a 26-yard gain – ushered along by Crabtree, making a nice downfield block.